Description
A master of hypnotism. He travels by boat with a crowd of rodents, spellcasters, and bards playing for him while he dances like a madman. We filled our ears with wax before meeting him.
He arrived at Thompson’s Camp mid-standoff in 09-Avenj’s Death > Confronting V, exactly as Asmodeus said he would. Roz passed him the message with Message.
Thank you good sir. I’m off to find a dragon. He turned up again at The Sabertooth Tavern in Carrowyn at the very end of 13-Full Moon > The full moon, walking in and looking directly at Theratina.
In 14-The Piper he demanded either the notebook or Theratina, then fought us. He survived being dropped to 0 HP, stole the notebook by rewinding time, and Teleported away with 20 followers who had been waiting outside. His Fireball burned The Sabertooth Tavern down.
I know who you all are. I understand what you all have. I’m trying to do something, so I’d appreciate it if you helped.
He had also stolen three pet dragons from the Ice Meets Blood party. In 15-Joining Forces > Outside The South Tavern, Yharov overheard him at The South Tavern with Bruce, who let slip that the Piper is one of The Horsemen:
Did I ask you to talk, Bruce? You got your arena. You’re going to get your war with The Silent Fist. Vel Rau’dan will burn just as you wish.
Dead. We killed him in its basement in 16-Killing The Piper > Killing The Piper, fighting alongside the Ice Meets Blood party. He had ten dragons there and needed three more to complete a ritual. He opened with Mass Suggestion — “Be chill. Let’s have a conversation” — and tried to talk us out of it. The three stolen dragons flew back to their owners, and we took back the notebook.
After a long rest in 17-In Theratinas Head > Our new items, we all saw him crippled and cowering on the ground, torn loose from whatever item he had been attuned to.
Bruce’s memory in 17-In Theratinas Head > Bruce shows up showed the Piper in a dark alley with Bruce and a sharply dressed elf, planning to resurrect the elf with the dragons’ power to stop Drakhakar and end the cold freezes. Bruce made him promise not to “end up like V, essentially freeing The Unknown”.
Abilities
Seen or known from the fight in 14-The Piper. He has 285 HP, save DC 17, and casts Mass Suggestion, Fireball, and Teleport.
- Master of the Melody — failed saves against his charms and music give Melody Marks; 3 marks means Charmed. Being Deafened gives Advantage
- Actions: Follow My Lead, The Final Lullaby
- Bonus Actions: You Belong to the Song, Change The Tempo
- Reactions: Wrong Note, Slip Between the Notes, Silence the Wrong Note
- Legendary: Otto’s Irresistible Dance, Whispered Verse, Crescendo
- Mythic: Not Yet — 1/day, returns to full HP at 0 HP. We can’t win by damage alone
- Song Into the Past — once per year; he used it to steal the notebook
He was stronger in 16-Killing The Piper: save DC 20, and Master of the Melody went up to 5 marks, with Charmed at five.
- Maestro of the Solo — 3 Reactions per round, one per creature’s turn
- Actions: Chorus of Broken Wills, Crescendo of the Silver King, Hymn of the Endless Encore, and upgraded Follow My Lead
- Bonus Actions: upgraded You Belong to the Song
- A book of Milil in his basement made music something the listener feels, so Silence may not have stopped him
Motivations
- Ride Drakhakar, which would let him control The Unknown
- Usurp V. He no longer worked for her, and called her by her real name, Veronica
- Wanted the notebook or Theratina. He took the notebook; we got it back when we killed him
- Per Bruce: resurrect a sharply dressed elf with the dragons’ power, stop Drakhakar, end the cold freezes, and stop V’s plan. They were going to have “a death knight by our side”